GOVERNMENT says over 300 illegal miners have been arrested across the country as authorities enforce a ban on alluvial mining.
Cabinet in August issued a directive to ban riverbed mining.
Government followed up the directive by gazetting the Environmental Management (Control of Alluvial Mining) (Amendment) Regulations, 2024 (No 3) on November 29.
The Statutory Instrument introduced stiff penalties for offenders.
"The ban on alluvial mining has been implemented and enforced throughout the country,” Information minister Jenfan Muswere said yesterday during post-Cabinet briefing.
"The statutory instrument introduced stiffer penalties for offenders and allows for the seizure of minerals, machinery, equipment and vehicles. To date, a total of 344 arrests have been made across the country."
Keep Reading
- Teachers, other civil servants face off
- Veld fire management strategies for 2022
- Magistrate in court for abuse of power
- Vungu Dam water treatment and irrigation project takes off
Speaking about the rainfall season, Muswere said riverine flooding may be prevalent in most flood-prone areas during the January, February and March 2025 period due to anticipated high precipitations.
He added that a multi-hazard contingency plan for the 2024/25 rainfall season had been developed to prepare and for hazards.
These hazard include tropical cyclones, riverine flooding, flash floods, landslides, heatwaves, severe thunderstorms, hailstorms, fires and human and animal epidemics, water-borne diseases, crop pests, strong winds, mid-season dry spells, mine accidents as well as road traffic accidents.
"It targets any disaster that evolves beyond the copying capacity of local communities as well as transboundary diseases,” Muswere said.
On the food security outlook to March 2025 and the 2024/25 summer season plan, Muswere said the blueprint aimed to increase production of cereals to 3 274 200 MT, against the 744 271 MT obtained during the 2023/24 summer season.
"The private sector will continue to import for commercial purpose, stockfeed and assist in the combating of drought. A record 563 961 MT of wheat has been harvested to date, surpassing the 465 548 MT achieved in 2023."
"Trucks from the Grain Marketing Board continue to distribute stockfeed. Meanwhile, the establishment of Ward Drought Mitigation Centres has recorded 43% of the targeted 1 035 wards."